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Planning to Resurface the Black Sea Fleet? Russia Commissions New Salvage Ship After Major Naval Losses
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Russia has formally commissioned a new rescue tug into its navy, a move that comes as Moscow continues to absorb heavy losses to its Black Sea Fleet after repeated Ukrainian strikes, Ukrainian defense outlet Militarnyi reported on January 5.
The vessel, Mikhail Chekov, a Project 22870 rescue and towing ship, officially entered service on December 29, 2025.
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While the flag-raising ceremony took place in Kaspiysk on the Caspian Sea, Russia’s United Shipbuilding Corporation said the ship is formally assigned to the Black Sea Fleet.
The tug was built in Astrakhan at the Astrakhan Shipbuilding Plant, a subsidiary of the Zvezdochka Ship Repair Center, which operates under the United Shipbuilding Corporation umbrella. It is the seventh—and likely final—ship produced under the Project 22870 program for the Russian Navy.
Construction of Mikhail Chekov began on March 25, 2021, and the vessel was launched on May 21, 2024. The ship is named after a Black Sea Fleet officer who, during World War II, led salvage and rescue teams tasked with raising sunken vessels in Black Sea ports.
Project 22870 was developed by the Vympel Design Bureau in Nizhny Novgorod. Prior to Mikhail Chekov, the Astrakhan yard had already delivered six ships of the same class to the Russian Navy, including Professor Nikolai Muru, Captain Guryev, and Rescuer Vasily Bekh.
The latter was sunk in 2022 near Snake Island after being struck by US-supplied Harpoon anti-ship missiles during Ukraine’s campaign against Russian naval assets.
#Sevastopol, a monument to those who died from the crew of the rescue tug SB-739 "Rescuer Vasily Bekh" (photos were taken before the opening, so the name board is closed) https://t.co/rHts3piwSy
— Jan Smits (@RHAF_HQ) June 19, 2023
The rescue tugs are designed to assist damaged vessels, evacuate personnel, conduct towing operations, and fight fires aboard ships and coastal infrastructure. They are also capable of stabilizing stricken ships and carrying out complex diving operations at depths of up to 60 meters.
According to published specifications, Project 22870 vessels displace about 1,605 tons, measure 57 meters in length and 14 meters in beam, and have a top speed of roughly 14 knots.
The commissioning of another salvage vessel highlights the pressure Russia’s navy continues to face in the Black Sea, where Ukrainian strikes have forced Moscow to rethink fleet basing, logistics, and survivability after losing or damaging a significant number of surface combatants and support ships since the start of the full-scale invasion.
Earlier, a Russian Navy anti-submarine vessel caught fire in the occupied city of Sevastopol, Crimea.
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